Various impact reflecting targets are available for use with firearms and other diverse projectile propelling devices. See my U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,188,371, 5,580,063 and 8,596,643. Such ballistic targets allow sport shooters and marksmen to improve their visual sighting of a projectile's point of impact on the target and therefore better determine their shooting accuracy and skill. Known impact marking targets typically employ a substrate or base that carries a layer of photoreflective ink having a highly visible color such as, but not restricted to, yellow or red. This photoreflective ink layer is covered by a thin film, which may include, but is not limited to bi-axially oriented polypropylene. A target image is applied over and on top of the film. When a bullet or other projectile strikes the target, the impact produces a penetration halo, which is the result of the displacement of ink pigment particles from the projectile impact area due to the effect caused by the shock waves generated by the projectile impact. This reveals the underlying photoreflective color and thus marks the point of impact.
Conventional targets featuring the foregoing technology, such as for example, Shoot-N-C targets manufactured by Birchwood Casey, are quite popular and fulfill most of the standard target requirements of sport shooters. Nonetheless, such targets fail to provide a permanent and sufficiently accurate indication of the specific location or coordinates on the target which are struck by the projectile. Superior, highly accurate markings are especially desirable in shooting and firearms competitions where the focus is on maximum precision marksmanship over a wide range of shooting distances. Improved precision impact markings are also needed for police and military training and when conducting target practice. Unfortunately, known impact marking targets are often unable to record the precise point of projectile impact with the accuracy required for such uses. The desired convenience of the shooter being able to easily see the ballistic projectile impact location is offset by the inherent problems caused by the sizable “halo” or “corona” effect, which occurs when the projectile strikes the target. This does allow the user to almost instantly determine the general area of the target where the bullet or other projectile has struck. However, certain portions of the printed target location identifying visual coordinates or indicia of the impact marking target, such as edges of a bullseye, target rings, alpha-numeric designations and other graphic images are often obliterated when the projectile strikes the target and portions of the target ink are dislodged to reveal the underlying photoreflective color. As a result, it can be very difficult, if not impossible, to satisfactorily and precisely determine where the projectile has struck the target relative to the disrupted coordinates, markings or other location identifying indicia of the target. This is particularly problematic in shooting competitions and civilian, military and police firearms training applications as described above.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,857,150 attempts to provide an improved visual indication of the precise location where a projectile strikes an impact marking target. However, that reference teaches a complex and expensive method of target construction wherein at least five or more layers of coatings comprising clay, cardboard and ink are assembled and arranged in a rather tedious and intricate manner. This requires a very sophisticated level of production expertise and results in a considerable production unit manufacturing cost. I have determined that the need exists for a far simpler, less expensive and much more precise and effective impact marking target, which can be manufactured more quickly, conveniently and at far less per unit expense and which overcomes the foregoing problems associated with known impact marking targets.